What is School For?

This week I'm wrapping up my first Masters course - Introduction to Curriculum Theories! Man. I wonder how long my teacher training would have taken me if it was all online, at my own pace. Probably like 45 minutes because those classes were largely repetitive and barely useful in a real classroom environment. (Get it together, BYU Education Program! More Classroom Management and actual teaching, less theory and methods!)

To finish the course, I have to write an opinion/personal philosophy paper, and I want YOU to weigh in. Yes you. My dear friend. You. Read the following brief summary and tell me what you think.


This class focuses on the four main ideologies held regarding education as a whole. Here is what these four ideologies generally support as the reason we have education:

Scholar Academic - school is for students to learn the collective information we've accumulated over hundreds of years in academia (math, science, history - below, language, humanities, etc), putting kids in college and making them experts in various disciplines. There is a set curriculum they need to know and will be tested on.

Social Efficiency - school is to prepare potential workers with skills, knowledge and behaviors they need to contribute and succeed in society. This is the Ron Swanson approach - we turn them into the workers that the market needs using a factory-like method: they go in as raw materials, they come out as polished, completed commodities (employees).

Learner-Centered - school is to help kids discover and self-actualize. These are the schools where kids individually decide what they want to learn and when, and kids are allowed to be kids.

10 Extra Awesome points if you get this reference

Social Reconstruction - society is ill, and school is how we heal it. We educate kids on the problems of the world (i.e. Kony, hunger, racism), teach them critical thinking and problem solving skills and then encourage them to take it forth into the world to turn this bus around.

Realistically, our public schools today are generally Scholar-Academic with more and more Social Efficiency as they get older (think MATC, Wood Shop, FFA, etc). We work in Social Reconstruction wherever we can, but especially in Utah we can't push too hard on social issues. Utah has several Montessori-type schools, and one self-proclaimed Learner-Centered school in Murray called Sego Lily School.

I have to write a paper on my personal philosophy of curriculum, referencing these four main ideologies. I'm on the social side - Social Efficiency and Social Reconstruction, but grounded in Scholar Academic. I think the way our society and education system is headed, if we can't get kids jobs and limit their student loan debt, we're gonna collapse in on ourselves! We need to be teaching kids skills the market needs - no more useless English degrees with $50,000 in student loans. We also need to be talking to them about social inequalities, demographic issues and horrors that need to be corrected - they are the future! Only they can control what happens when we get all old and decrepit. But still. I know my kids hate to hear this, but I USE MATH. Maybe not trig, but I still use everything up to Geometry and Algebra 2. Maybe even College Algebra. They need to know about our history, even if it won't apply to their future jobs because THEY LIVE HERE GOSH DANGIT. They need to know WHO THEY ARE. I'm just the teensiest bit biased here, obvs. Learner-Centered is great in theory, and I do try to incorporate their choice and interests wherever possible, but in reality it just doesn't work for most people/teachers/schools.

So I want to know, as I prepare to write this paper - what do you think? What is school for? 

Is school for learning information and ideas?

Is school for learning skills so you can get a guaranteed, good job?

Is school for discovering yourself and growing?

Or is school for preparing a generation to take on the world and fix all of societies problems?

Should we focus on information or skills? Thoughts or feelings? 

What is the most important? Can you choose just one?

Let me know! I want to get perspectives from parents, students, non-teachers and teachers alike. Love you all!

School is 4 Fools Look at Meeeeeeee

Not only am I going back to school, but I'm also going back to school. If you're confused, you're not alone. I don't really refer to my job as "work" but usually as "school" since I'm a teacher. So I'm going back to "work" school, but I'm also going back to "school" school.

**Also don't forget about the Back to School Giveaway! Ends today!**

I found out on Friday that I've been officially accepted and enrolled at Western Governor's University for my Masters of Education starting September 1st! It was touch and go there for a while because I definitely said

"Ok thanks! Love you byeeeee!"

at the end of my phone interview, but they were cool with it anyway. For the record, I say that to everyone on the phone when I hang up. It was not intended to be brown-nosing. Sorry, Clover.

Yeah, my admissions adviser's name is Clover. Haven't heard that one before. I like to picture a little jolly leprechaun helping me improve my future, hiding a pot of gold under her desk in a bright green cubicle.

This guy surprised me with dinner and a movie (always my favorite) to celebrate!

Ultra Quick Movie Review: The Way Way Back is worth a redbox for sure. But I hate seeing my idol - Steve Carrell - as a doosh. :(

So Wednesday I go back to "work" school for teacher meetings, a week from today all my new kids show up for the first day back, September 1st I go back to "school" school to start my Masters program and September 16 The Beard starts his web development program downtown and I'll basically never see him again until Christmas (more coming on this - he's making me be secretive).

We're loading up on string cheese, gushers, office supplies and spiral bound notebooks over here. I love back to school shopping. I think I have 4 planners now.

I don't think my blog will suffer. In fact, my blog posts will probably increase because I'll be on my computer even more and looking for stuff to distract me/procrastinate my homework with. Good news, right?